Your Questions Answered
Concrete raising is a cost-effective and eco-friendly solution to repair sunken, cracked, or uneven concrete surfaces. However, before investing in this innovative technique, it’s essential to understand its key aspects. This comprehensive FAQ guide covers everything you need to know about concrete raising, from its process and benefits to potential limitations and cost considerations. Whether you’re a homeowner dealing with concrete issues or a professional seeking more information, our experts have curated this resource to empower you with the knowledge you need to make an informed decision.
Polyurethane foam concrete raising material is injected as a liquid that sets-up as a rigid foam. This foam will NEVER loose density or shrink. This material is lighter than traditional mudjacking material, and requires less holes to install. Even better, the holes are smaller creating a virtually invisible repair!
Mudjacking material is a sand based grout that will not lose its density. Combined with Portland cement this non-organic mixture is pumped under the slab of concrete. Different from organic material, RaiseRite’s slurry will not decompose or breakdown.
The RaiseRite trucks remain parked on the street, while the concrete repair crew maneuvers the equipment to the site requiring repair. The hydraulic mudpump is roughly the size of a riding lawn mower. Armed with many lengths of hose, the mudjacking crew can reach just about anywhere. If you are using polyurethane to repair your concrete, a hose is ran straight from the truck/trailer to the repair site without driving a single piece of equipment on your lawn.
After the concrete is raised with mudjacking material, a foam plug is inserted into the hole, and the hole is patched over with cement. The concrete is ready for use immediately. However, it is recommended to allow the patch material to set-up before use, typically a couple of hours. Foam plugs help RaiseRite patch the holes, and act as a shock absorber, when slabs are affected by the frost cycle. Holes that are not patched with foam can pop out, when the material and earth under the slab expand from freezing. When concrete is raised with polyurethane foam (FoamJacking), these plugs are not used. The material used for raising the slab replaces the inserted foam plug as a shock absorber.
When our work is completed, it will be your responsibility to caulk the seams of the sections that were repaired, or backfill against any exposed areas to contain the material, and prevent future sinking. Self-leveling cement caulk can be purchased easily at a home improvement store and works great for sealing joints. Using a silicone based, self-leveling caulk, is recommended. If a crack is very large, to use less material, sand can be used first between the crack, before applying the caulk on top. Preventing water from going under the slab is key to preserving the repaired slab. Make sure that your downspouts are correctly placed, to assure water runs away from your concrete slabs or foundation. Taking these suggested steps for preserving your raised concrete is a condition of your RaiseRite warranty.
Solid slabs of concrete can be raise and stabilized. Gravel areas or blacktop are unable to be repaired, and need to be replaced or re-installed to remedy settling issues. Slabs of concrete that are badly cracked may also be too damaged to lift.
We LIFT IT ALL! Sidewalks, Driveways, Pool Decks, Footings, Patios, Garage floors, Basement floors, Office floors, Warehouse floors, Highways, Bridge Approaches, Seawall Repair, and Voids. If you are not sure if your concrete can be raised, call us for a Free Estimate.
Raising settled concrete can be half the cost of replacing it with less damage to your landscaping and downtime. Our expert estimators will be able to assess and provide you with an accurate, FREE estimate for your project.
Both methods of concrete lifting will achieve the same results. Mudjacking concrete leveling and polyurethane concrete raising will raise and support sunken or unstable concrete slabs by drilling holes and pumping material under the slab.
Material
Settled concrete is commonly a result of poor soil conditions beneath a slab. Polyurethane has become a popular repair method because the material is so lightweight compared to traditional mudjacking material, it will not further burden the already weak soil. Mudjacking uses a sand based material that is infused with Portland cement. This slurry is hydraulically pumped under the slab to fill voids and raise the concrete. Mudjacking material weighs on average 100 lbs per cubic foot. Polyurethane Concrete Raising uses a foam material that is injected under the slab. When the components of this material are mixed, a reaction causes the material to expand. This expanded foam fills any voids beneath the slab and raises concrete. This material will never lose density, is permanent and weighs only about 2 lbs. per cubic foot.
Hole Size?
After the slab has been raised, the only visible evidence that the concrete has been repaired are the holes. For this reason, polyurethane has gained HUGE popularity because of the nearly invisible 5/8″ holes that remain after the job is completed. Mudjacking involves drilling a series of 1″ holes in a slab of concrete, so the material can be pumped under the settled slab. Polyurethane concrete raising drills a nearly invisible 3/8 or 5/8″ hole and the process calls for considerably fewer holes than traditional mudjacking.
We have saved customers over $20 million, versus if they would have replaced their concrete.
Investment / Cost
Concrete raising is typically half the cost of replacing your concrete slab. When large voids are present, this can increase the cost of the repair. While polyurethane material is more expensive than mudjacking material, the smaller hole size, lighter material weight, and fewer injection holes, make the investment in polyurethane over mudjacking well worth it.
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Homeowners or building owners
Cost Benefits of Concrete Raising vs. Concrete Replacement
Reduction in Labor & Service Costs
One of the main benefits of concrete raising compared to concrete replacement, is the reduction in cost you get to enjoy. To replace a concrete slab, you must hire a crew to demolish the slab, remove and discard it, stabilize the foundation below where it used to be, repour and let cure the new cement.
This is a lot of man power, hours, and materials, which ultimately equate to a much larger bill, and sometimes days to weeks worth of waiting.
Concrete raising lowers your overall costs, sometimes by up to 50% less than replacing the same concrete slabs, and is exponentially quicker in both completion and curing time.
Benefit #2
Minimal Impact on Surroundings
Concrete raising has little to no impact on your environmental surroundings. Equipment is parked off site, and has the ability to reach even hard-to-reach places, meaning you don’t need to work around the crew, they work around you.
Benefit #3
Minimize Potential for Injury
Concrete raising projects generally last 2-3 hours (sometimes longer, depending on the severity of the issue) and are ready immediately upon completion. Downtime, cost, and potential for injury are minimized substantially when you choose to raise and repair, compared to replacement.